All language subtitles for 09 - How to Keep the Shot Steady

In the previous lesson,

we learned about different
camera movements.

And now that we
know what they are,

we need to know how
to do them smoothly

to reduce any distracting
camera shake.

For these movements, the
camera only rotates.

The easiest way for these
is to use a tripod.

However, these moves are also

very easy to
accomplish handheld.

Personally. I think they have

a more natural look
when done handheld,

because the shot won't be too

shaky and it also won't
be perfectly smooth,

which gives the footage a more
natural and organic field.

To do this, the key is to
keep the camera close to

your body so that it moves as
if it is part of your body.

Keep both hands on the camera.

Keep your feet firmly planted,

and do most of the
movement from your torso.

Keeping your shoulders, elbows,

and wrists as still as possible.

If that doesn't
provide enough range.

For example, when
doing a tilt shot,

then it's best to move
from the shoulders

while still keeping your
elbows and wrists frozen.

The goal is to keep your body in

camera as still as possible

while moving the least amount of

your body as needed in
order to get the shot.

Now if we're going handheld for

shots where the
camera is moving,

the first thing to
know is that there

will always be a bit
of camera shake,

but there are ways to reduce it.

And one of the best
tools is a top handle

or even better it camera
cage with the top handle.

This allows us to create
a camera which helps

keep it level and smooths
out any small movements.

Next, we want to apply
similar techniques we used

for the pan and the tilt
shot with one difference.

Now we want to hold the camera

away from our body slightly so

our arms can adjust and absorb

any shocks that will
happen from walking.

When you're walking, it's
best to slightly crouch,

turning your legs into another
kind of shock absorber.

And this also readies you for

any sudden movements
that may be necessary.

You'll probably
notice that you take

this position naturally without
even thinking about it.

Most important, you want to walk

lightly as though
you're sneaking around.

Additionally, try to keep

a steady pace as this will

also make your footage
look smoother.

When filming hand-held, it is

impossible to have
perfectly smooth footage.

But the goal is to have
a footage look fluid

and natural instead of
jittery and distracting.

Okay, so now that we
know how to move,

what can our equipment
do to help us?

We already discussed
the top handle,

but what about lenses?

The easiest and one of the
best ways to make camera shake

less noticeable is by
using low focal lengths.

Because the higher
the focal length,

the more zoomed in we are.

And even the smallest
camera shakes

become very noticeable.

Whereas the wider the shot,

because there's more to see in

the frame and because
objects are smaller,

any camera shake becomes
less noticeable.

If you do want to use
a higher focal length,

then you'll need a gimbal.

I also recommend a
gimbal if you're doing

tracking or dolly
shots at a fast pace.

Because the faster you move,

the harder it becomes to
study the camera naturally.

It can be a bit expensive,

but they are worth every dollar
pound peso bought Chrome,

Grupo Ruby ran euro, yen,

whatever currency you use,

they are worth it and they do

a fantastic job of stabilizing

our shots by adjusting for

even the smallest
bit of camera shake.

But don't think because
you're using one,

that every shot will be perfect.

And once again, how we move
our body has a big effect.

Because whichever
way our body moves,

the camera will follow.

Just because the gimbal is
doing most of the work,

shouldn't mean that we get lazy.

Putting in that little
bit of extra effort

will only make our
footage that much better.

Some other creative ways
to get smooth dolly and

tracking shots quite
simply, get on wheels.

We can film from a vehicle,

have the camera operator
where rollerblades or

sit in a wheelchair for
close-up product shots.

Just sliding the
camera on a hand towel

along a flat surface
can create great shots.

Lastly, we can also
set our camera

to 60 or 120 frames per second,

because in slow motion,

everything is smoothed out.

But I suggest only using this as

a last resort or when

the shot makes sense
to be in slow motion.

Otherwise, this leads to
lazy filmmaking and you'll

end up with boring videos

if everything is in slow motion.